probably the dumbest question ever asked

But I have to ask it anyway just to be sure..

but what is an %26#39;A la carte%26#39; menu? is that a total dinner/lunch (starters/entree/dessert) for one fixed price?

*Now I will hang my head in shame for asking the dumbest question of all time* (lol)

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It%26#39;s not even close to being the dumbest question ever asked, and certainly not on this forum. After all none of us was born knowing the answer to that question, so somebody had to tell all of us, right?

In fact the term %26quot;À la carte%26quot; does not mean what you think. The fixed price meal consisting (usually) of two or three courses is called either %26quot;Le menu%26quot; or %26quot;La formule%26quot; in French. The French word for what we in America call a menu is %26quot;la carte.%26quot; So when you are presented with %26quot;la carte%26quot; you will often (but not always) have the choice of eating a main course, and as many otherr courses as you wish, chosen as you wish from all the dishes listed. That is what dining %26quot;à la carte%26quot; means.

The alternative is that you will have a more limited choice (sometimes a VERY limited choice) of two or three courses which may or may not appear on %26quot;la carte%26quot; which you may select for a (usually) less expensive meal at a fixed price. That is %26quot;le menu%26quot; or %26quot;la formule.%26quot;

And just one other thing to coinfuse the issue a little more. In France the word for a starter is %26quot;entrée%26quot; which makes sense since the word actually means entry. The main course is called %26quot;le plat%26quot; (pronounced plah and meaining simply dish or plate) or %26quot;le plat principal.%26quot; And %26quot;today%26#39;s special%26quot; is %26quot;le plat du jour.%26quot;

So we took these words (menu and entrée) from the French and slightly altered their meaning, resulting in the confusion of many thousands (millions?) besides yourself. So there is absolutely no need to hang your head in shame.

Does that help or have I succeeded in confusing you more than you were before?

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I%26#39;m sorry. In the second paragraph I started off saying one thing and ended up saying something different. The words %26quot;often (but not always)%26quot; should be deleted in that paragraph. In fact I%26#39;m going to edit the second and third oparagraphs. They SHOULD read as follows:

In fact the term %26quot;À la carte%26quot; does not mean what you think. The fixed price meal consisting (usually) of two or three courses is called either %26quot;Le menu%26quot; or %26quot;La formule%26quot; in French. The French word for what we in America call a menu is %26quot;la carte.%26quot; So when you are presented with %26quot;la carte%26quot; you will have the choice of eating a main course, and as many other courses as you wish, chosen as you wish from all the dishes listed. That is what dining %26quot;à la carte%26quot; means.

The alternative is that you will often (but not always) have a more limited choice (sometimes a VERY limited choice) of two or three courses which may or may not appear on %26quot;la carte%26quot; as well which you may select for a (usually) less expensive meal at a fixed price. That is %26quot;le menu%26quot; or %26quot;la formule.%26quot; (Think of it as %26quot;today%26#39;s specials%26quot; at a somewhat reduced all-in price.)

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In short, dining %26quot;a la carte%26quot; means paying separately for each individual item that you order from the entire menu.

IrishRovr was very accurate (as always) in his definitions and explanations, but since he is so eloquent, you may have found his vast knowlege a bit confusing at a time when you felt vulnerable and ashamed (unrightfully so!!!) for asking your question.

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Thank You Irish and Shoe :)

altho I did think it was the dumbest question ever, now that I see it wasn%26#39;t anything like I thought it was I%26#39;m very glad I asked..... :)

I leave later today for a 29 day trip (italy,paris,switzerland) with just my 14 year old daughter and myself.... We%26#39;re on a budget and I was hoping that by ordering the %26#39;A la carte%26#39; menu I would save some money......LOL but now I see that I would just be getting funny looks instead of the fixed menu....HA!

La formule and La menu!

thank you!!

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29 days!!! That sounds like quite a trip! Enjoy............

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ekg -

Sometimes it might be cheaper to eat just a main course or two courses à la carte than to eat a three course prix-fixe menu.

You and your daughter can likely save money by eating your main meal in the middle of the day rather than the evening. Most restaurants will have less expensive options at lunch time. Some offer their prix-fixe menu/formule ONLY in the middle of the day. And the food is the same whether you eat it at mid-day or in the evening.

Picnics with some wonderful bread and local hams or salamis or cheeses and superb fresh fruit are another great way to eat in all the places you are going.

I%26#39;m sure you and your daughter will have a wonderful trip. Do let us know how it went when you get back.

And Shoesy -

Thank you for rescuing me from my over-exuberant verbosity!

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That%26#39;s me, Irish - the great savior. Hey, maybe I%26#39;m related to the ones in the Da Vinci Code!

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